Paris and the Sisters
by JanTanner
Summary: Thrown into a different dimension by the fickle whims of Q and Tzeench Tom must survive in a world beset by chaos if he wants to survive. What does fate hold for an ex-Federation man in a callous universe such as this one.
1. Chapter 1

Paris and the Sisters

Chapter One

"Can you hurry it up already?" A man asked as Tom Paris continued to work on the device before him.

He was keeping a nervous watch while Tom worked. The dull lights of the Cardassian refinery make his task difficult and his backup wasn't helping matters either with his constant fretting. The bomb he was putting into place was a delicate beast of a machine designed for damage and making the area it exploded in generally unpleasant to be around. Like his companion he wanted to be out of the area as soon as possible but not because of the guards.

They were in one of the ore processing rooms that was currently inactive. The small alcove they were in kept them hidden from anyone not looking directly into it and would make for a good chamber for the explosion to fire out of. The only reason they had this time to work with was due to a bajoran resistance cell, working with his own Maquis force, hitting the place earlier today. The idea itself was simple, bomb the place with a Bajoran style attack and immediately follow up with their own Maquis forces to keep the cardassians off balance.

"Uhh… Tom? We got guards coming…" His backup whispered as Tom himself heard the repeating footsteps of the Cardassian guards approaching.

"You start heading out, I'll finish up here and meet up with you at the base." He said not looking up from his work."

"What you can't…" He was about to protest further when he heard the guards getting closer.

For a brief moment it seemed to Tom that his backup would actually stay despite his suggestion. In the next second he heard the fluttering of cloth against metal and the echoing sound of him moving through the vents. It didn't take long for the sound of the guards footsteps to drown out the sound of his companion escaping. Connecting the last relay Tom stood up and backed away into the shadowed corner of the alcove. He saw the bomb lights flashing and the countdown had begun. Readying his phaser he waited for the guards to approach.

"So I told him that if he kept using the butt of his gun to open Kanar bottles it would eventually happen." One of the guards said as they approached.

"Complete waste of the bottle and his rifle- Hey was that always there?" The second guard said as they both stopped at the threshold.

The other guard readied his battle rifle and let his companion approach the bomb Tom had just been working on, "Don't tell me…" He said covering his companion.

"Yeah it's a bomb… again. The air vent over here is off!" The second guard said kneeling near it and looking in.

"Can you see anything?" The other asked.

"Yeah something's moving further down the line!" He said reading his rifle and aiming it down the vent.

"If you could not shoot my companion that would be great." Tom said stepping out of the shadows and calmly firing his phaser at the first guard.

The second, realizing Tom was behind him, struggled to get up from where he was aiming his gun only to get shot a moment later. Walking up to the first guard he shot Tom began to drag the body into the alcove and put it against the wall to avoid anyone seeing it. Just as he was about to climb into the vent to catch up with his friend he felt a shocking blow to his shoulder that sent him reeling into the wall.

Sliding down into a sitting position he looked up to see a third guard holding his rifle directly at him, "Not only do I not have to listen to my companions stupid chatter but I get to capture a terrorist and help save the refinery from being destroyed. I think this will earn me a nice promotion and earn you an extended stay in one of our prisons. That's assuming you don't resist and give me an excuse to gun you down right here and now." He said leveling the rifle at Tom.

"You know… I never really considered myself a martyr." Tom said with a weak smile.

"Thats a good little terrorist." The guard replied.

"I'm just saying that so you don't get the wrong idea…" Tom said.

"Wrong idea?" The guard asked.

"Just that you think I'd be doing this for the cause and not because Cardassian prisons are hell on earth." He said pulling out his phaser and firing it at the bomb.

The Cardassian had just enough time to scream 'No' before the world was enveloped in white light.

* * *

Despite knowing he was dead Tom couldn't help but wonder how he was able to think about it when, by all rights, his brain should be paste against a now highly irradiated refinery wall. He could only see blackness before he realized his eyes were still closed. Slowly opening them his vision was met with blinding white light like someone turned on the lights too quickly. Trying to bring his hand up to his eyes he realized his shoulder was still in pain and moving his body wasn't much of an option right now.

"Such an utterly dull way to die don't you think?" A voice said interrupting his musings.

"W-what?" He tried to look about but couldn't see anything due to the light.

"Regardless a friend of mine has an interest in the best and brightest our little universe has to offer. So while you may be dead back in our galaxy theirs has a rather spacious spot for a Tom Paris. Enjoy your newfound life. I know I wouldn't" He said with an almost mocking tone.

Before Tom could figure out what was going on the world enveloped him with white again and he passed out.

* * *

The first thing Tom heard when he felt his consciousness return was the sounds of chaos. People in the streets screaming and crying in terror, footsteps of thousands of people, and the sound of thunder in the distance. He was still groggy and trying to get his head in order. If there was one thing he found out with his brush with death it was that his rebirth wiped him out more than an entire week of binge drinking on Ryza.

As he started to collect himself and get up from where he lay he realized his clothes were covered in some disgusting liquid that had gathered where he lay. Looking back and forth he realized why he was covered in filth. The alleyway had a small drainage canal leading down it's length and he had ended up in the center of it. It was when he noticed this that his olfactory senses came back to him and he realized just how bad the alleyway smelled.

Pushing the smell and thought of what he was laying in out of his mind he looked towards the end of the alleyway. He could see the movement of hundreds of people rushing past and it was clear many of the terrified voices and cries came from them. It was at this time he began to feel as if something was wrong as the thunder continued to rumble off in the distance.

He knew stepping out into the mass of people would be a very bad idea when he was still groggy. So he leaned against the alley wall and waited. The crowds never noticed him as they rushed away and after several long minutes he was left with only the stragglers who were carrying too much to move quickly. Throughout the wait the thunder never ceased and he was getting a sinking feeling he knew why.

Stepping out into the light of the main street he looked over at the backs of the people fleeing in terror and began to think that he should join them in fleeing. He didn't know what was going on but he knew when that many people all agree on leaving an area it is a good idea to follow suit. Looking back the other way he saw nothing but deserted streets filled with the remains of what people dropped when running away.

Trying to shake off any remaining grogginess he began to stumble away from his alleyway and towards the mass of fleeing people. Running was still too much and a limping walk was all he could manage. As he moved through the streets he took some time to glance about at the architecture of the place.

The entire road was flanked by massive cathedral like buildings that shot upward and scraped the sky above. Looking down one of the streets he saw the buildings continuously dwarfed by taller structures that grew bigger and bigger as they moved away from him. Eventually all the buildings were dwarfed by a massive superstructure in the center that put even the most impressive federation building to shame.

It was at the sight of this superstructure that Tom finally realized what was bothering him about the thunder. Flashes of light all along the superstructure that shot glowing yellow spheres off into the distance allowed him to put two and two together and realize that it wasn't thunder but artillery that he was hearing. Thousands upon thousands of guns were firing from the main structure off into the distance somewhere outside the city. The civilians were fleeing in the opposite direction of the artillery barrage.

Looking back at the street Tom finally found someone who wasn't fleeing in terror. He was standing around a metal vehicle of a make and model Tom couldn't figure out. He was pulling things off the top of the car and giving the vehicle a good kick every now and then while venting his frustration.

"Excuse me sir." Tom ask hoping he could understand the man, "Can you tell me what's going on?"

It was much to Tom's relief that he understood the man, at least the words he spoke. The dialect wasn't much different than his own speech but it seemed to be both more ancient and at the same time more broken. He could only describe it as some bastard offspring of latin that had been clubbed to death one too many times and now spoke with a southern ghetto drawl. It didn't help his understanding that he was screaming obscenities at both him and the car the entire time.

Before Tom could understand what the man was screaming about the man threw up his hands grabbed what he had pulled off his car and began running along the same path as the fleeing citizens. Tom was left with more questions than answers now. Before he could mull over what the man had screamed about he felt himself blown to the floor by an explosion that nearly deafened him.

Looking up at the source he saw the top of the superstructure in the center of the city had exploded like a volcano. His ears were ringing as he watched a giant spire of purple energy shoot upwards into the sky from the center. The pillar of energy began merging with the sky above and the normally blueish hue of the atmosphere of the planet began to darken and replace itself with the same purple color.

As the sky darkened Tom felt his entire body shiver as the screaming voices of the fleeing people suddenly grew in volume and carried a more horrified panicked tone to them. The shift unnerved him to his very core. Hearing something crash behind him he turned around and understood with frightening clarity why the screaming changed.

What had crawled out of the alleyway was something that utterly confused every sense Tom had. It's skin was a sickly white a pale color that he only saw on people who had lost massive amounts of blood. It's hair was gone completely replaced with a mass of writhing tentacles that swayed back and forth in an almost seductive manner. Three pairs of breasts adorned it's chest and every single one had it's nipples pierced and chained together. One of it's arms was normal until it's wrist when it changed from human flesh to a chitinous claw while it's other normal arm was bleeding from a wound at the shoulder. The only clothes it wore was around it's waist, a thin sheer cloth that barely covered up whatever it might have where it's crotch was.

Tom could see every aspect of the creature as it began to slowly walk towards him, it's hips swaying back and forth with each step. His mind clearly understood this thing as evil and disgusting yet he felt himself wanting to walk towards it. To embrace the creature and hold it in his arms, to make love to it and let it have it's way with him every conceivable way. Confusion reigned in his head as his mind screamed at himself for even having such a thought. Each step made it worse as more images of the debase and hedonistic things he do with it flooded his thoughts.

His reverence was broken when two men in combat fatigues rounded the corner, "Damn man, there's tha bitch! Finish tha damnable thing off!" One shouted with an accent so thick Tom barely understood him.

Both leveled their rifles at the creature as it turned towards the two with a hiss. It's attention shifted elsewhere Tom felt his body responding to his mind again and he ducked down behind the car as the sound of a rapid cracking noise filled the streets. A guttural unnatural scream filled the air then was cut short with a weaker gurgling cry followed by a dull thud. Catching his breath he leaned over the edge of the car and looked over at the two men as they approached the corpse.

"Whoa we got a civie here!" One of the guards said leveling his rifle at him.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot!" Tom said holding up his hands to show he was unarmed.

"No sudden moves boy." The first guards said moving in a slow circle around the car to get a better view of him, "Aye, what inna name of the God Emperor are you doing out boy? Dinna you get tha evac notice?"

Tom slowly stood up and kept his hands raised while the other moved closer to him. While the guard looked him over Tom glanced over at the creature that had just been advancing on him. It's body was smoking from several holes the guards weapons punched into it. Laying face down on the street unmoving made Tom wonder what the hell it was that could confuse him so much.

"Careful where you put those eyes of yours." The guard said tensing up after he looked over Tom, "We don't need any more reasons to think you're some sort of cultist."

"Cultist?" Tom asked genuinely confused, "What's going on. Where am I? What is this place?"

"Tha damn man is daft in the head." The second guard said at his questions, "Why dinna ya get to tha damned shelter?"

"Shelter? What-is-going-on?" Tom cried out with exasperation, "I woke up in an alleyway and I have no clue where I am or what's going on!"

"Kid, we got a job to do and we can't babysit you here. Run down that street as fast as you can you'll see a fortress about three miles down. Go to the gates and get put in a damn shelter. With any luck you'll be able to join a convoy out of the city." He said pointing down the street, "We can't take care of you so once you start running DO-NOT-STOP!"

"But… what's going on?" Tom asked with an exasperated tone.

"Dinna ya notice the damned spire shootin it's load inta the sky? Chaos has come ta town and they're damning everythin in sight! Now get going mate!" The second guardsman said before pushing Tom in the direction of the fortress.

It was surprisingly easy to find the facility even if it wasn't in a straight line from where he was. Guards, APCs, and tanks were constantly rolling out it's massive gate and moving down the street where he was coming from. The shelter itself was far more than just a bunker to hide it. A literal fortress rested on top of the shelter ramps leading down into the bowels of the building. Walls surrounded the facility and when Tom got closer to the main gate he realized that the walls themselves not only were several hundred feet high but at least two dozen feet thick.

Reaching the gate he was treated to another round of inspection as the guards there gave him a pat down for anything he might be carrying. His tricorder got a few strange looks but the guards had bigger things to worry about so he was passed through with little fanfair. As he moved into the fortress he had to keep an eye out for moving patrols and vehicles as they simply pushed him out of the way if he got even close to them. Dodging the people and tanks that were moving out to reinforce the city he made it to one of the ramps leading down to the bowels of the fortress.

As he approached the shelter a robed man approached him. If the demon before confused him this man unnerved him. Attached to his chest was what looked to be an old earth typewriter above him flew a tiny baby with several robotic implants and what looked to be wings from some bird grafted onto it's back. In the baby's robotic hands it held several rolls of paper and as the man filled on one of those rolls on his typewriter he passed it off to the child for a new empty one.

"Name and hab block residence?" He asked with a slow drawl.

"Uh… Tom… Tom Paris… I don't have a hab block residence. I… just arrived." He said muddling through the half-truth as he tried to shake of the unease the man gave him.

"Tom Paris, Immigrant. You will need to address your transfer superior at your earliest convenience. You are in a restricted city for immigrants. Upon seeing your superior you will be punished in accordance to Imperial standards. Do not be late to this punishment date. Proceed." The man said finishing a bit of furious typing and waving him through the threshold.

Not wanting to cause trouble Tom decided to play the part and moved past the man while keeping his head down. Moving past the secretary and his cherubim, shuddering while it watched him pass, he moved into the shelter. The first thing that caught his eye was that the shelter had levels.

Four massive metal pillars occupied the center and went down to the floor supporting the structure above. He saw it would take at least five of him holding hands to circle even one. They all went down five levels to the bottom. From there Tom could make out the structure expanding further than the base levels. Each level had it's fair share of huddled masses but the majority were gathered at the bottom.

As he moved through he tried his best to listen in on conversations that he passed by. Many were just talking about loved ones they couldn't find and things they had to leave to reach the shelter. One group of men near a burning fire barrel caught his attention when one mentioned the attack.

He moved close to the fire barrel to get warm and began to listen in on the man talking, "I tell you… none of the defense forces knew about this attack until five minutes after it happened." He said as the others around the barrel listened in.

"What about the nobles? I thought they would always try to save their own hide. Were they really clueless?" One of the others asked.

"Nobles?" The man said spitting into the barrel before lowering his voice, "You didn't hear it from me but I got a good source that says it was THEM who organized this. That's why no one knew. They kept everyone in the dark the entire time."

"No way… what the heck did they expect to happen with you deal with… ya know… chaos?" Another said clearly in shock before barely whispering the last word.

The knowledgeable man chuckled to the surprise of everyone around them, "You guys don't quite appreciate the way things went down here. I was part of the administration for the spaceport. I had to deal with all the stuff moving to and from the Tycho landing pad. While the nobles planned their little soul selling, the Imperium with the PDF were landing troops all across the planet. The Imps didn't like the lackluster tithes that were coming out of our world recently and were planning a coup under general Carson. The only reason the Nobles didn't get to backstab everyone was because they were already being backstabbed!" He finished with a laugh.

The rest of the group laughed along with him. Tom could hear in their voices the nervousness that belied their response. Knowing he'd likely just get strange looks if he asked for details about what was going on he opted instead to move away from the barrel and down some of the levels to the lower portions. Moving down the stairs he approached the bottom floor.

The bottom floor was spacious beyond his expectations. The main room was larger than the previous levels and each wall led off down multiple corridors that were lined with solid metal doors. The people gathered around them and glancing inside one he saw several cots built into the wall. He got the idea of what the place was supposed to do. Anyone attacking and trying to get to the people would have to clear hundreds of rooms one by one. A time consuming process and each room looked easily defendable.

Moving to a corner he sat down and ran a hand through his hair. He tried to take stock of what happened to him but every time his mind recalled what happened he found himself in a state of disbelief. He died and got resurrected and dumped on some foreign planet with only his clothes and tricorder. As much as he wanted to figure something out he couldn't help but feel his eyes begin to close and sleep start to creep up on him. Knowing he wasn't going to come to any conclusions he did his best to get comfortable and let sleep take him.

A few hours later he felt himself shaken awake by something. Rubbing away the sleep from his eyes he looked up at a disheveled woman smiling down at him with a look of envy. She was carrying two children as she addressed him. One looked about five riding on her back and his sibling looked less than a year old and was carried in her arms. They both watched Tom with curiosity rather than envy like their mother.

"I must say I've never seen a person sleep so soundly as you do. I'm kind of envious." She said with a small smile.

"Oh… thanks for waking me." Tom replied getting up and look about.

The shelter was abuzz with movement and people. The refugees were slowly shifting towards the stairs. Tom wasn't sure what was going on and he realized his face showed it when the woman spoke up again.

"We're getting moved to Arcus city. The outer hives aren't safe anymore." She said frowning, "I guess I'm not going to see my home again anytime soon."

"If it's any consolation my home is on a different planet." Tom said as he moved towards the stairs with her.

"Oh you've traveled in space? How lucky. I hoped to one day go on a pilgrimage but now…" She said sadly.

A pall hung over them as the conversation died, "So… your children keep you from sleep soundly I take it?" Tom asked trying to break the awkward silence.

"What? No their little angels. Its just life here…" She replied with a smile that convinced him he had missed something.

As they approached the entrance Tom saw a pale purple light coming from the ramp leading in. At first he thought it was some trick of the overhead lights. When he got outside he realized it was far worse than that. The reaction of the mother convinced him it was even worse that what he could possible imagine.

Her face was covered with a look of abject terror as she watched the sky. "God emperor preserve our souls…" She said as her children began to cry and others around him uttered their own prayers.

The sky above was completely covered by purple clouds that billowed and rolled across the sky. They formed black patches that, when gathered together, would explode with the sound of thunder. The thunder was then followed by bolts of lightning arcing across the sky. All the while the world was tinted a dark purple hue. Tom wasn't sure what was happening but the sinking feeling in his gut told him it wasn't good.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: My apologies to those reading this story as the last few weeks and months have had no progress on the stories at all. My willpower was stopped by personal issues and it's taken a while to get back into a writing rut. With any luck I'll be able to refocus my efforts on the story in preparation for the NaNoWriMo coming up in November.

Paris and the Sisters

Chapter Two

Tom dutifully climbed onboard the truck the guards had led him to. He learned from the woman that it didn't pay to draw attention to oneself during such times as these. The vehicle in question was hardly more than a flat back with hastily added sides to prevent people from falling overboard. The only other addition he could see from where he sat at the back was a roof mounted gun on the truck. A single guard stood by it and watched every alleyway and shadow as the convoy began to move out.

"The best thing we can do right now is keep our heads down until we get to the city. It doesn't help anyone to slow down things with questions." The woman said as she tried to keep her children from getting jostled about by the truck.

"I don't think I caught your name." Tom said.

"Oh, sorry I forgot with all that's going on. My name is Lyra and these two are Cain and Barak." She said giving a short but genuine smile for the first time since Tom met her.

"Nice names. I can't help but feel that this convoy is going a bit slow for my liking." Tom said as he looked back at the dozen trucks of various make behind him.

The entire convoy was made up of dozens of civilian claimed transports. Most had hasty modifications added like the roof mounted gun and the siding for the civilians. Lyra told him most of the military transports had long since been sent to the frontlines and the ones left were filled almost immediately. He couldn't see that far ahead of him but she assured him the safe transports were at the front of the line giving rides to those who had the money or connections to afford the safety of the military grade hardware.

Their speed had been good up until they made it out of the city's limits. Then the convoy slowed considerably as many of the vehicles weren't equipped for the uneven dirt roads around landscape was surprisingly beautiful as long as Tom ignored the smoke from battles on the horizon and the sickly colored sky. Lara told him this was a hive world which meant the surrounding area around the city was too hostile to let humans live effectively.

As he looked about at the rows of farmland and fields he couldn't help but ask her about her statement, "Are you sure it's too hostile out here? It looks pretty beautiful from where I'm sitting." He said.

"That's because the planetary governor has spent years clearing out the forests around the hive. It's when the trees grow taller than us that we are in danger. The forests and wild places of this world don't take kindly to us humans." She said before adding, "The safest path to Arcus city is through one of those forest areas…"

"How bad could it be…" Tom asked nervously.

A ragged looking man sitting opposite of them spoke up, "Mauler bears that can rip the siding off a bunker, Albino wolf packs that are as smart as a human, Antlern's horns that can pierce even guard flak vests to name a few during the day. At dusk we have thousands of bugs that can sting you constantly and will chase you for miles, drain the blood from your body, and even burrow within your skin to make a nest. At night there's even more horrid things that I don't even want to mention. By the time we get there this storm is probably going to have done something to them too… It's the safest route but that's not saying much at all." The man said.

"Yeah that doesn't sound bad at all." Tom said rolling his eyes at the man.

His sarcastic quip was almost cut off when the convoy came to a stop much to the worry of the passengers. Slowly each vehicle behind them slowed and stopped as well leaving everyone inside, including the guards, looking around worriedly. After a few minutes of sitting and watching everyone look around at the surroundings Tom sighed and started climbing out of the truck.

"What are you doing?" Lyra said with worry, "You're going to get into trouble or killed if you start moving around."

"I'm just going to go see what's holding us up. I'll be right back." Tom said shooting her a winning smile.

He ignored the truck's occupants further protest and continued on his way towards the front of the convoy. The guards didn't care much as they were too busy watching the fields for anything approaching to bother with a single civilian. It helped that other braver people were climbing out to stretch their legs and look about. As he made his way to the front of the convoy he began to notice that the transports were going up in quality and defenses. More guards, more siding, and even a few things that looked like tanks to him.

It was as he approached the front of the line that he began to hear loud voices from beyond the tank leading the convoy. Two figures were arguing back and forth while their men stood nearby alert to each others actions. Upon closer inspection did Tom realize that half of them were in fact women. Their ornate armor hid their gender from him when he glanced but as he studied their jet black armor he noticed the distinguishing features of them.

Behind the women were several of their own vehicles one of which was resting in the middle of the road blocking their path. From what he could see he counted almost a dozen other tracked tanks in the same pitch black color. Amongst them dozens of armored women could be seen. He even saw a few of them without helmets. Their hard features and stern gaze unnerved him slightly as he could tell from looking these were trained killers.

The convoy leader was arguing with the one in charge of the armored females. He was a stout man covered in several medals and wearing a uniform that looked like it belonged in a parade Tom once saw. His bluster seemed to simply wash off the armored female as she stood there waiting for him to finish. Unlike some of her companions she still had her helmet on and it made it difficult for Tom to figure out how she was reacting.

Before he could watch any more he felt an armored hand grab him by the shoulder and slam him into the side of the truck. His vision was brought around to face one of the armored women staring into him with cold eyes. Her armor was pure black like the others but the backpack attached to her armor was far smaller and looked like it had jets attached to the side. Her jet black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. He saw one of her eyes had a large scar moving from her cheek across the eye towards the center of her forehead. Tom was amazed by the size of the scar and wondered how it hadn't blinded her when she got it.

"What the hell are you doing civie, This area is off limits to the likes of you!" She said in a cold voice pinning him against the tank.

"I- I just wanted to know what the holdup was." Tom said struggling against the powerful grip of the sister.

"I find it far more likely…" Tom watched her grab an extremely large gun from her holster, "... that you're one of those cultists here to spy on us. I don't like cultists." She said pointing the pistol at his head.

"What!? No, lady you got it all wrong! Everyone back there-" Tom started before he was slid up the side of the tank slightly by the strength of the woman holding him.

"Even if you aren't we don't take kindly to eavesdroppers." She said pressing the gun to his head.

"But we do not kill them Senna." A voice said from the side of the tank, "Release him."

Both Tom and Senna turned to face the newcomer. She wore the same black armor but it was in addition to a white and red cloth tabard over the armor and a similarly colored habit on her head. The woman holding him gritted her teeth and let Tom drop causing him to fall to the dirt and then to his knees at the sudden motion. She turned and walked away from him shooting the new woman with a hostile glare.

"I will remember this Dahlia." Senna said as she walked away.

Dahlia let out a soft sigh a ignored the other woman, "Are you well?" She asked walking over to Tom as tried to stand up.

"Yeah… thanks." He said standing up and leaning against the tank.

She blinked a few times before nodding slightly. "It is unnecessary as my actions are dictated by pragmatism rather than altruism but you are welcome. She said as she turned away.

"Wait! Could I ask a question?" Tom said pausing for a moment but continuing when he saw Dahlia turn around, "What is going on here? I… arrived here recently and I haven't even gotten my bearings when all this happened. I've heard a few rumors and hearsay about what is going on but nothing I can rely on."

The woman looked at him with a curious expression before she spoke, "The world is under assault from the forces of Chaos. My sisters and I are working alongside the Imperial guard, Space marines, Planetary defense forces, and inquisitors on this world to try to fight back the demonic forces." She said calmly and succinctly.

"So we're all on the same side then, right? So why is this such a hold up if it's just a matter of a stuck truck?" He asked.

Dahlia paused for a moment before stepping closer to him, "Do you plan to tell the civilians further back why we are here and what is going on?" She asked fixing him with a piercing gaze.

Tom returned the look and knew it wasn't going to help matters to lie, "Yes, at least I'm going to tell them what's the hold up. A lot of people back there are really scared and worried and letting them just sit there isn't going to help." He said doing his best to stand up straight as Dahlia's eye's bore into him.

"That is a fair request. Our tank's engine has been damaged and the tech priest assigned to us has expired recently. We need the tank but can't move it and now the convoy is also here. Going around the blockage in the road is difficult as much of the dirt and soil off road is far too weak to support so many vehicles and we can not risk them getting stuck in the mud. Is that enough for your people back there?" She asked after finishing her rundown of the situation.

"If it's engine trouble perhaps I could look at it. I'm rather handy with a wrench myself." Tom said.

"That would not be a good idea, our machines are temperamental and not following the proper calming rituals would-" He words were cut off by a scream further down the line.

Both Tom and Dahlia looked down the line to see a lone man running in the field. He was heading straight towards the line and while Tom saw no reason to scream in terror Dahlia apparently did. Her gun was in her hands in a flash and she aimed it at the man as he ran towards the convoy. The other guards were attempting to react but Dahlia was far faster and quicker to act than any of them.

"Cover your ears!" She said pulling the trigger of the gun.

Tom had just enough time to slap his hands over his ears when he felt the explosion of the bolter firing it's shot towards the man. The shell struck true causing the man to double over when the explosive ordinance hit his stomach. Dahlia then lowered her bolter slightly as she watched the man sway back and forth from the wound. Far from killing him it just seemed to stun the man as he straightened up and flung his arms outwards towards the sky.

The next shell hit him squarely in the chest and like the last round it merely caused him to jerk in the direction of the shot but not fall down. Tom was watching the entire affair in shock as was everyone else. Only Dahlia was actually reacting to the crazed man.. By now the guards and other sisters at the front of the refugee column were moving towards their spot.

It was then that what the cultist was doing finally happened. A third shell hit the man's head as he cried out some strange chant towards the off colored sky. As his head exploded like an overripe melon a bolt of lightning struck down his corpse sending a shockwave out from the center blasting away those nearby. In the center Tom could feel a foul presence emanating from the crater.

With barely even a thought he pulled out his tricorder and watched as the device began scanning the area. It didn't take long for his tricorder to give him back readings on the area. It's voice broke through the confusion that the column had fallen into at the sudden explosion.

"Warning, high levels of radiation types B, Alpha 5, and quantum dimensional. Advise extreme caution when operating within the area. Suggested actions should be to evacuate." The device said just as Tom saw some of the guards approaching the crater.

"HEY YOU IDIOTS GET AWAY FROM THERE!" He shouted trying to wave them off.

His warning came a second too late as a mutated and misshapen arm reached out of the pit. It grabbed the nearest guard and pulled in him into the pit. The guard had barely enough time to scream before his voice simply cut off. Before the rest of the guards could even widen their eyes in shock twisted and mutated creatures started climbing out of the crater.

Their skin was an odd array of pinks, purples, and blues. It looked like it didn't actually belong on the creature and instead was just melted down and poured over the strange beast. The only unifying feature of the strange entity was the fact that it seemed entirely made of mouths. Each one also let out a soft yellow mist. Tom wondered what the mist was just as one opened one of it's many jaws and shot a stream of multi colored liquid fire at the convoy line.

Tom was snapped out of his observations as the people on the convoy line began screaming as the fire struck them. The guards attempted to fight back but as more of the creatures climbed out of the pit Tom knew it was a losing battle. He turned to Dahlia who had opened fire again alongside the other guards and armored women.

"We have to get out of here!" He shouted over the din of combat.

"It's impossible, our vehicle still needs to be repaired." She replied firing off another burst before letting the clip of her gun fall out.

"Take me to it and I can try to fix it!" Tom shouted as she began reloading, "What's worse pissing off that machine thing you told me about or dieing here under the fire of that stuff?"

She paused for a moment before nodding, "Violet, Senna, coverfire! I have a mechanic we need to get to the transport." She said.

Two sisters moved up to their position and began pouring weapon fire towards the hole. Tom felt himself get yanked around the tank they had been talking at and pulled towards the broken vehicle he was going to repair. It occurred to him the engines might be completely foreign to him but he pushed it out of his mind as he approached the two commanders he saw arguing earlier.

"Matron Rose I have a mechanic here who might be able to assist." Dahlia said letting Tom go as the armored woman looked him over.

"Alright, get him working on the engine, commander you need to pull the guards from the VIP convoy and get them firing on that portal!" She said.

"Impossible, those people need all the protection they can get if any chaos creatures break through!" He said as Tom was led away towards the back of the vehicle.

He was led inside where he saw the exposed engine in the front of the transport. He had to move past some large liquid drums to get to it but was sitting in front of the device in moments. Dahlia watched with concern as did the turret operator on top. If she had any objections to him working on her tank Tom didn't hear them as he began looking over the piping and mechanics of the tank.

"Seems simple enough." He muttered to himself before looking over his shoulder at Dahlia, "I could use a light."

A large lamp was unceremoniously dropped down from the pilot seat at Tom. A large bulky device it was at least providing a significant amount of light for him. As he looked over the engine he was able to figure out where the problem was. One of the larger gears had not only slipped off it's position but had a large crack down it's center preventing the thing from working properly even if he had managed to get it back into place.

"Does anyone have any strength three or higher adhesive?" He asked.

"Strength three what?" Dahlia asked in confusion.

"Umm… do you have any strong tape or glue?" Tom asked again trying to simplify his words.

"Yes we do!" The gunner said, "Sister Dahlia it's in the back compartment with the other purity seals and litanies of binding."

Dahlia moved back and opened one of the many interior doors. After a few moments she returned with a box full of paper stips, wax seals, and several rolls of tape. Paris couldn't help but cock an eyebrow at the sight of all the various wax seals and paper prayer strips. As he pulled out a roll of the tape he heard the sounds of combat still filtering in from outside the tank. His hands paused as the screaming and shouting outside refused to die down.

"What happens when I repair this?" He asked looking over at Dahlia, "What are you going to do when you can move this thing?"

"Did you hit your head?" Dahlia asked, "Fix the machine's spirit!"

"Are you going to leave when this thing can move?" He asked.

"What is wrong with you fix the engine!" Dahlia said.

"If I fix it are you just going to leave us?" Tom asked again.

"We have our mission, escorting the convoy is the planetary defense forces job!" She said with anger in her voice.

"Shit, They're pushing us back!" The operator said sliding the turret towards the fields.

Tom grit his teeth over the sound of the mounted gun opening fire. "If you're just going to leave us behind why would I help you? Doing that would sign the entire convoy's death warrant!" He shouted.

"You will repair the machine spirit because it is your duty as a mechanic! We will go complete our mission because it's our duty! You need to know your place in the great machine of the Imperium and that place is here fixing our tank!" She screamed at him her patience having come to an end.

"You can help these people!" Tom said, "You can save these people's lives if you try!"

"At what cost? Every second you delay is another second that could be used to accomplish our mission and possibly end this war. Are you willing to trade the resolution of this conflict for the lives of a few hundred people?" She said as the tank lurched to the side from some blast that hit the outside.

"SHIT, they've got weapons coming in!" The turret driver shouted.

"I'm willing to try!" Tom shouted back.

A voice came in over Dahlia's armor breaking the confrontation between the two, "Mechanic, we need that tank to move!" The voice said over intermittent burst of gunfire, "Repair it and you have my word we'll do everything we can for the convoy."

"Sister Superior we can't just-" Dahlia began.

"These people are the Emperor's citizens we will not leave them." The voice over the comm said, "Mechanic please endeavor to fix the engine."

"Good enough for me." Tom said going to work as he moved his hands into the guts of the engine.

It was a surprisingly simple fix for all the fuss everyone was making over how the tank wouldn't move. Part of the engine had fallen out of alignment and simply required a something to put it back into place. The tape was to ensure it didn't fall back out afterwards and would likely hold for a while as he snapped the piece back in and layered the tape around the part to prevent it from slipping back out.

"Is it fixed?" Dahlia asked.

"Yeah start her up!" Tom said pulling his hands out from the engine. Seconds later the engine sparked to life and the parts began moving again. Tom watched the engine move for a few moments before grabbing the cover and sliding it back in place. He had just locked it back in when he felt the vehicle surge forwards and what he hoped was off the road allowing the rest of the convoy to begin moving again.

Before he could move to the back entrance he saw the doors open up and over half a dozen of the armored women enter pushing him back to the front of the vehicle. The top of the tank opened up and several of the women stood on the seats inside allowing them to fire outside the tank. As the women opened fire Tom's ears were assaulted with the sounds of their weapon fire.

All he could do was cover his ears and close his eyes as the tank lurched and shifted it's weight as Dahlia drove around and moved towards the other tanks possesed by the sisters. During the brief lulls in gunfire he could hear the comms of the sisters armor and the sounds of orders going back and forth between them. Within a few minutes he felt the tank stop swerving as much and he could feel the momentum moving him forward. He didn't know what direction they were going but he knew that they were moving that direction fast.

"Wait what about the convoy?" Tom asked, "Are they still alive, did they make it out OK? What's going on?"

All he got was a glare from every single armored woman in the tank with him. Despite his desire to know if everyone on the convoy was alright he felt himself shrink down slightly at the combined death glare from each and every woman inside the vehicle. As the tank rumbled on he could only glance up through the mounted gun operators seat at the off colored sky above. His only solace was that the sound of gunfire died down and was replaced with the much more steady sound of rumbling engines.

He wasn't sure how long they traveled for but he couldn't help but be impressed by the women he sat next to. Each and every one sat as still as a statue and the only movement he saw from them was from the two looking out the top for enemies. He on the other hand fidgeted, flinched at bumps in the road and slowly felt the sounds of the engines work their way into his head and bring about a drowsiness that was impossible to fight. After a little while longer he felt himself nod off completely as the tank never stopped moving.


	3. Chapter 3

Paris and the Sisters

Chapter 3

He wasn't sure what time it was when he felt himself stir from his slumber. One of the armored women had shaken his shoulder waking him from his sleep. She said something he barely caught about getting up and moving about but his sudden awakening had made him less than able to pay attention. All he could do was follow her outside as she led the way.

Following her gave him some time to check out the armored woman before him. The first thing he caught from her was that her hair was as black as her armor and pulled back behind her in a ponytail. Her armor was the same color scheme as the others but it had a larger backpack that she worked to avoid hitting the transport's walls. He had never seen anything like it, but from his quick observation he guessed it was designed as a jet pack of all things.

As he made it out into the light of the day he wondered what time it was. A quick glance upward didn't help at all as the sky was still completely covered with the strange purple aura that was gathering around the city they just fled from. It was an odd sight seeing the sky draining towards the one point off in the distance. It also meant that until he could find someone to talk to he wasn't going to be able to figure out how much time passed as he slept.

He realized that the armored woman was still talking to him, "-And thanks to your beauty rest we've been stuck here until you decided to wake up. Now that you're no longer napping you can get to work on some of the other vehicles that were damaged in the escape." She said.

"Wait wait… I wasn't listening to half of that, what's going on?" He asked rubbing his eyes to clear away the last of the sleepiness.

The armored woman sighed and put a hand to her forehead as if she was fighting off a migraine, "Look I'll make it simple. More trucks broke, you woke up, now you can fix them." She said.

"Alright, sorry for not being able to wake up in a single second." Tom said back.

"It's amazing you survived this long." She replied.

"Sister Senna have you woken the mechanic." One of the armored women asked.

"Yes matron Rose, he's here and ready for work." Senna said saluting before heading off to rejoin the other women.

"I am glad to see you awake lord mechanic. I held off disturbing you as much as possible to allow you your rest but now time is starting to run out for us." She said with a soft voice turning to face him.

Tom recalled she was the one who swore that the women would get the refugees out of the line of fire before he fell asleep. When he saw her before she was wearing her helmet preventing him from seeing anything beyond her armor. With her helmet off he was able to get a better look at her. He short strawberry blonde hair barely made it past her ears and he imagined it was due to having to wear the helmet all the time. Her face was calm and composed but he got the feeling something was eating away at her by the way she occasionally glanced back towards the city.

"If you needed to get the repairs done you could have woken me earlier." Tom said.

"It is not our place to. You are one of those that speaks to the machine gods. I only assume you are undercover for your own reasons lord mechanic." She replied.

Tom was taken back by her reverence, "Umm… I don't know what you're talking about but you don't have to put on the pomp and circumstance. I'm just someone who got a little lost and has a bit of a knack for fixing your engines." He replied, "I'd prefer it if you just call me Tom."

She looked as if she was going to say something else but chose not to, "As you wish… Tom." She said before turning towards the road leading back to the city, "As you requested we managed to save as much of the convoy as possible. Sadly that was only three of the trucks. Many of the vehicles the convoy was using could not traverse the rough terrain or keep up with the flight from the warp spawn." She said leading him to the first of the trucks that needed repairs.

"Only three…" Tom said in shock.

"I am sorry lor-... Tom… It was all we could do without being overwhelmed ourselves." Rose replied, "This is the first of the vehicles that need repairing."

"Wait I need to check something first!" He said running past Rose towards the other trucks waiting for repairs.

He passed by all three of the vehicles looking through the surviving passengers for the face he hoped to recognize. It didn't take him long to realize that the three he was looking for weren't there. Rose moved up beside him and looked at his face with a touch of confusion.

"Is something wrong?" She aske.

"I was looking for someone… a woman with two children." He said with a somber tone, "She isn't here."

"It was unlikely she would be." Rose said, "Not many trucks from the back of the convoy were able to escape in time."

"Yeah… let's go fix those engines then." Tom said trying to refocus his mind to the labor ahead.

"You seem sad they're dead." Rose said heading back to the truck.

"Of course I am, It was a stupid, senseless, death that never should have happened." Tom replied.

Rose gave him a curious look before nodding and leading him back to the truck. The next hour Tom busied himself repairing the various machines as well as he was able. He had a fondness for old twentieth century trucks but he never thought his hobby would ever be in such high demand. Save for a few parts here and there the engines of the armored women and convoy were exactly like the old combustion engines of earth. The parts were often in different areas but the ideas were the same for each one. What shocked him more was the state each and every one was in.

Dozens of parts were simply covered with multiple layers of what looks like paper and wax. The wax was emblazoned with the same half human skull half metal skull he had seen on some of the other parts he had come across. Many of the papers were simply there to patch leaks or keep to parts from slipping out from each other. Tom was amazed that the engines even ran considering the state they were in.

Pulling out his phaser he went to work pulling off the papers and sealing the cracks and shifted parts in the engine. Every time he tore off some of the paper he heard gasps of shock behind him and several times he felt like the armored women were on the verge of stopping him. Each time it seemed like they might he finished with his work, tested out the engine, and the results spoke for themselves.

Before he went to work smoke, rumbling, and sputtering would come from the vehicles. Every time when he finished they sounded immediately better, ran smoother, and had almost no smoke whatsoever. It was only on the last truck that he heard Rose speak up behind him.

"While I cannot find any fault with your work… Tom… I feel it isn't in our best interests to desecrate the seals of calming and efficiency inside the machines." She said looking into the truck engine as he pulled out another handful of paper.

"This may be rude to say, but I have no clue how this engine ran before with half a book worth of paper inside. Half the time it looks like the person who put them down barely even got the location right and only managed to fix the problem through sheer luck." Tom said pulling himself out of the guts of the machine with another handful of wax and papers, "Seriously what is with this stuff, I know not everyone just puts down a newspaper whenever they need to fix this thing because I can see weld spots on other parts of the engine but this stuff…"

"Those are litanies of calming and efficiency, they are used to sooth the machine spirit's drives and make it run smoothly. My sisters and I have followed the instructions on their placement to the letter. Was our application wrong?" She asked.

Tom looked at Rose as if she had another head spontaneously grow out from her shoulders, "... Putting on several layers of paper held together by wax is at best going to simply delay the problem and at worst cause even more problems. Weren't you taught basic field mechanics at wherever you learned to fight?" He asked.

"My church taught us the value of our faith and the means to destroy those that would corrupt it. What I know of soothing the machine spirits is what you saw in that engine." Rose said.

"Oh boy… Alright apparently you think I have some sort of status here from being able to fix engines so I'll be straight with you. Don't try to fix these things anymore. No engine deserves having a novice feeling around inside hoping to fix the problem by gluing a book to it. If there's another break down let me know and I'll fix it." Tom said.

Rose looked like she was going to protest before deciding against it, "As you wish lord mechanic." She replied with a curt bow.

Tom ignored her reverting back to calling him by his apparent title, "So while you're here… do you mind answering a few questions for your 'lord mechanic'?" He asked.

"I am not sure what I could answer with that you wouldn't already know." She said, "But I will endeavor to meet your expectations."

"So… who are you women. I get you're all soldiers but I've never seen armor or weapons like yours in the Federation." Tom said before leaning back into the truck for more repairs..

Rose looked a bit surprised at his question but cleared her throat and answered, "We are the Sisters of Battle an organization headed by the ecclesiarchy to combat the forces of chaos and those who would harm the people of the Imperium." She said.

While he worked Tom couldn't help but feel like he's heard some of the terms before but wasn't sure where, "Alright then, You promised to help us but how far will that go? Last I checked we were heading to the main city or something to avoid this invasion I know I can't get you all to keep protecting us all the way there." He said using his phaser to weld another pipe closed.

"You will not have to, our mission is to get to the city as well. We were supposed to go there with all the haste we could muster but I felt your pleas for protection on behalf of the convoy warranted our aid. I too, felt it was wrong to leave them behind, I simply lacked the conviction to act on it." She said.

"Well that's good to hear… the escorting us to the city, not the lack of courage." Tom said hastily amending his statement, "From what I hear of this place the trip wouldn't have been a pleasant one."

"It still might not be. Much of the convoy's protection lies with me and my sisters and there's only so much we can do. If something happens and the civilians panic we will not be able to save them." Rose said.

"Do you think that will happen?" Tom asked.

"It depends on how well the convoy maintains it's moral over the next few days as we head to Arcus hive." She said, "As overtasked as you might be you are the best person to communicate with these people. They all know you far better than us and our status makes it hard for them to listen to us. They respect our position as Sisters of Battle but can not relate to us or our goals."

Tom closed the hood of the truck and leaned back against it while wiping away some grease on his face, "So I'm the mechanic and the diplomatic officer? Huh, isn't that always the case." He said sardonically.

"You also possess skills as a diplomat?" She asked.

"More like everywhere I go I have just enough skill to be put into a every position. I'm a jack of all trades really. I've done mechanic work, botany, some field medicine, ship space flight, advance subspace geometry, I've done survival training, graduated my classes in astrophysics… I even know how to sail…" He said with a somber laugh, "Then there's all the other skills I've dabbled in. That means wherever I go I end up being the one who get's all the fun jobs."

"Unless your skills fall within the realm of killing chaos scum I doubt you'll be getting the 'fun' jobs!" A sister said as she walked over to the two.

"Sister Lotus, is there something you need?" Rose asked looking over at her.

Tom thought he heard the sound of hostility within her voice but wasn't sure if he heard it or just imagined it, "Matron Rose, sister Dahlia requests your presence with the rite of absolution for the civies that died back there." She said adjusting the strap over her shoulder.

Tom was able to catch sight of a large weapon attached to the shoulder strap. His quick look didn't give him much insight into the details of it but he knew what a flame thrower was when he saw it. He was surprised at the irony of flaming death weapon matching the sister's bright red hair. Slicked back by some substance it sprawled out behind her head like the very fire she used and he couldn't help but notice from her gestures and speech that she also acted like the fire she used.

As Rose walked away she approached him cutting him off before he could go meet with the civilians, "So I hear you're the little mech boy that fixed all our stuff." She said leaning over him and forcing him to step back into the tuck behind him.

"Yeah… I suppose that was me, is there a problem?" He asked meeting her stare, "Aren't you supposed to be a little more respectful of someone who can fix machines?"

"HA! Don't go 'suming that just because Rose is a by the holy book girl that we all are. I've been on the front lines as soon as I could walk and I know half you tech priests like to spend more time blowin smoke outta your asses rather than fixing our gear. Bein' able to slap some tape on an engine or two doesn't earn you a whole lotta respect." She said with a wicked smile over her face.

"So what does your front line experience say about keeping me from doing the work I'm supposed to do?" Tom asked.

"You mean talking with the other civies?" She said making Tom wonder how long she had listened in on his and Rose's conversation, "I'm sure those fawning sheep can do without their shepherd for a few minutes while I get a good look at you."

Tom was about to say something when she leaned in towards him. Her armor pushed him back against the truck and he could feel pain in his chest from the pressure. Her head leaned in towards his neck and he could feel her breath over his shoulders as she breathed in. Any protest he had was cut off but the pungent smell of a gas like substance as he realized she likely slicked back her hair with the very fuel she had in her flamethrower. In almost the same moment she pulled back and stepped away leaving him leaning on the truck wondering what the hell just happened.

"Smooth hands, clear shirt, and you smell nice, like soap, I'm guessing you haven't had a single hardship in your entire life…if I didn't know any better I'd say you were a noble... I'm going to enjoy watching this war break you in half." She said with a smile that creeped him out to no end.

She turned around and left him leaning on the truck. Her flamethrower shifting against her armor with every step as she walked away. The entire affair took no longer than a few seconds but left Tom thoroughly confused about her.

"I really... really… hope they're not all that crazy." He said shaking off the surprise and waving a hand in front of his face to blow away the last few vapors of Lotus's hair gel.

It didn't take him long to find the de facto leader of the civilians. An older man he looked like he had seen and suffered through most of his life leaving his hair and beard white and his face wrinkled and worn. He was cordial to Tom but the ex Starfleet officer couldn't help but get the feeling his interaction with the sisters had soured his reputation with the people.

He still went about the task with as best he could, "Listen I know it's hard to accept but if we want to get through this we need to trust them." He said.

"We did trust them and then they left nearly the entire convoy behind." The old man replied, "I understand what you are doing son and I appreciate it but we take care of our own. The Sisters are going to the same place we are but we will not let them lead us after what they did. Too many of our friends and family died for us to trust them so flippantly."

With that the old man turned and headed back to the huddled mass of citizens camped around a small fire. Tom knew several hours had passed since he started his work and wondered if it was evening or morning. To him it didn't matter much as he had slept on the way here and was feeling rested enough to keep going for several hours more still. His stomach rumbling indicated to him he had to attend to other functions of his body.

A soft chuckle from behind him made him turn to face Dahlia, "It sounds like you've worked up quite an appetite from appeasing the machine spirits." She said with a smile.

Tom let out a short laugh followed by one of his winning smiles, "Yeah I guess you're right. What is there to eat, if anything?" He asked.

"Even us sisters must make do with corpse rations." She said handing him a small square bar wrapped in a shiny sealed wrapper.

he was slightly unnerved by the name but opened the package anyways. A single bite told him why people called it a corpse ration. Not only did it have the texture of meat that had been left out in the sun for days it's taste rivaled some of the more awful things he had eaten before. Forcefully swallowing the bite he took he could tell right off the bat it's taste would likely linger in his mouth for hours.

A grimaced face and a disgusted noise was all he could manage eliciting a smile from Dahlia, " Perhaps you should sit down. If this is your first time eating one then sitting might help the gag reflex." She said clearly enjoying the sight of his trying to eat the bar.

"Clearly you enjoy torturing people." He said sitting down on the bumper of one of the trucks.

Her smile flickered for a moment, "Perhaps." She said coyly.

"So if you don't mind me asking what is wrong with that fire girl… Lotus I think?" Tom asked trying to force down another bite.

"Lotus… is… simple to understand." Dahlia said clearly choosing her words carefully, "Like many of the Imperium's people she grew up watching and hearing of the great acts of valor of the space marines. She joined the sisters to give her the opportunity to emulate them."

"And that whole smelling thing?" He asked.

"We all have our oddities." She said, "In truth I know only a little of my companions. Our squad was formed shortly after our failed attempt to stop this event. Our little band was made from the leftovers of almost half a dozen other squads."

"Oh what happened?" He asked.

"We were simply too slow. Our failure resulted in this catastrophe happening. I believe that is why Rose chose to help the convoy as she did. Failing to stop this in the first place has likely killed millions by now. She might hope this absolves her of her sin." She said her voice carrying an icy chill to it.

"Hang on it almost sounds like you all blame yourselves for this." Tom said.

"It was our failure." Dahlia replied.

"But if you did everything you could then how could you blame yourselves for this?" He said, "I mean, if you couldn't have done any more then it can't be helped, the last thing you want to do is let that distract you from doing what you can now… right?"

"Your idealism is like a refreshing breeze in the midst of a scorching desert." Dahlia said with a sad smile, "Sadly idealist like yourself are rarely long for the world."

"Yeah I hear that a lot these days." Tom said with sarcasm, "I guess if you want to keep that breeze going it would be best to keep me alive then."

"Your forthrightness is also something I have not seen in a long time. I would temper it with a warning however." She said as he smile faded slightly, "Everyone here is balanced enough… our more devout sisters are far less tolerant of such flippancy."

"I'll try to remember that. How long do you think it will take us to reach the city?" He asked.

"Perhaps a few days at most if we are accosted along the way. With any luck the main army well keep the chaos incursion contained within the city but we must always be wary of the wildlife and random beasts of chaos that would seek to end our lives." She said.

Tom crumpled the wrapper and threw it aside. His mouth was tasting nothing but the aftertaste of the corpse ration and he realized without anything to wash it down he was likely going to be tasting it for a long time. Before he could stand up Dahlia extended a hand carrying a small flask towards him.

He took it without complaint and tilted it back for a swig. He immediately felt burning pour down his throat as the alcohol made it's way down. Reflexively he started coughing and sputtering and barely managed to avoid dropping the flask. Handing it back to her he tried to compose himself as best as possible.

"It's a powerful alcohol but it does get the tasted washed down, and sanitizes wounds well." Dahlia said.

"I'll say it does." Tom said fighting another coughing fit, "Remind me never to get injured when you don't have any sanitizer."

"I'll say it now then, don't get injured. Our supplies are limited and medical needs are the first that suffer." She said turning and walking away.

Before she got too far she paused and looked like she wanted to say something, "Something the matter?" Tom asked.

"I just… wanted to apologize for my hostility when you were repairing the transport." She said leaving it at that and walking away.

Tom cocked an eyebrow before smiling himself. Standing up he stretched a few times then decided it was a good time to try talking to the civilians again. Despite it's taste he did feel rather full from eating such a small bar.


End file.
